Lothian Buses announce contactless payment on all services
The bus company is also introducing a daily fare cap, which is a first for Scotland.
Bus passengers in Edinburgh will no longer have to hunt for the exact change before making their journey as Lothian Buses confirm that contactless payment will now be accepted on all services.
The bus provider has also revealed that they will be the first service in Scotland to introduce a daily fare cap, similar to the London model, which means passengers will no longer need to know what specific ticket they need to buy.
For one tap of your card you will be charged an adult single fare, but after three or more taps on the same day the cost will be capped at the price of an adult day ticket price, meaning customers won't have to worry about overspending.
Launching city wide on Wednesday the service will be available on all Lothian Buses.
The company's commercial director says contactless payments have been at the top of their customers' wish lists for some time.
Nigel Serafini, said: "We are delighted to be launching city-wide contactless payment for our customers. With more and more of our transactions becoming 'cashless', it was important to recognise the demand for this capability across our fleet.
"This has been at the top of customers' wish lists for some time and we're pleased to be able to deliver an easy and convenient method of payment, which removes the need to carry cash, or know at the start of the day how many journeys you plan to make.
"The capping system means that our customers will always get the cheapest daily fare possible, no matter how their travel plans might change throughout the day."
The new payment system on Lothian's services has been developed by long-term ticketing and fare collection technology partner Flowbird Transport Intelligence, working with Visa, the global digital payments company.
The managing director of Flowbird says the new system will make bus travel in Edinburgh "easier than ever before."
Owen Griffith said: "This new contactless and fare capped system will make bus travel in the city easier than ever before, while simultaneously applying maximum daily fares rules for multiple journeys.
"We have delivered this innovation in partnership with Lothian and it marks another successful milestone in our long-standing relationship."
Steven Orelowitz, Head of Transit, Europe, Visa, said: "The UK continues to lead the way when it comes to contactless payment systems on public transport and we are thrilled to have partnered with Lothian to bring it to their buses.
"People now expect to pay as swiftly and seamlessly for travel as they do for any other purchase, so the introduction of contactless is a huge step forward for Edinburgh, and a boost to the customer experience for both residents and visitors to the city."